1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plastic identifier tags, such as ear tags used for cattle identification, and processes for their manufacturer.
2. Background Information
Custom-imprinted plastic tags are used in a variety of contexts to identify and/or track items or commodities. This is particularly true in the cattle industry where plastic “ear tags” are used to distinguish cattle of one herd or group from those of others. Merely differentiating the colors of plastic ear tags is not sufficient to adequately identify ownership of cattle, in part, because there are insufficient tag colors available to provide unique identifiers for each owner's cattle, even, for example, in the context of one, large cattle handling facility. Therefore, uniquely identifying indicia (numerals, letters, and/or logos) are printed on plastic tag blanks.
The most cost-effective process for printing plastic ear tag blanks has heretofore involved “hot stamping” images through the use of thermal film (“hot stamp foil”). Using this process, a sufficiently heated, metallic stamp block exhibiting a raised character (a numeral or letter, for example) is pressed against a plastic tag blank with a segment of hot stamp foil positioned therebetween. The thermal “ink” from the hot stamp foil which overlies the raised character on the stamp block is transferred to and thermally welded onto the plastic tag blank.
The hot stamping process has worked well for a number of years, but has certain drawbacks. As already mentioned, hot stamping involves having metallic stamp blocks with raised indicia for transferring the desired images to tag blanks. This, in turn, eliminates any degree of flexibility and spontaneity in choosing and printing images on tag blanks, particularly custom logos, etc. If a custom design is to be printed on a tag blank, a custom stamp block must be produced, often at significant expense relative to the cost of the other elements of tag production. In addition, in the case of producing individually numbered tags, stamp blocks must be changed for each successive tag blank which is hot stamped.
Because of the requirement for changing out stamp blocks as numbers or images are changed from one tag blank printing step to another, persons involved in printing plastic tag blanks are exposed to notable hazards as they manually remove and replace the stamp blocks in close proximity to the dangerously hot surfaces and components of the hot stamp machines.
Clearly, other methods for transferring images onto plastic tag blanks would be faster, simpler, safer to workers, and much more cost-effective. Such methods would include traditional means by which letters and images are applied to plastic surfaces and other industries. However, such conventional methods do not produce images which are durable enough to survive the typical environment in which plastic identifier tags (cattle ear tags, for example) are used. To date, no one has suggested or provided a method by which plastic identifier tags may simply be “printed” in any faster, cheaper, and safer manner than the conventional hot stamp process, while still producing a suitably durable image.
In view of the above, it would well serve the custom imprinted plastic tag industry and its end users to provide an improved process for printing plastic tag blanks, which process obviates the use of heated metallic stamp blocks, yet still applies indicia which is sufficiently durable to satisfy the needs of end users. In addition to eliminating the use of heated metallic stamp blocks with the associated cost and worker hazards such a new process would also ideally provide substantially enhanced flexibility in choosing indicia which would be applied to plastic tag blanks and would involve a degree of simplicity of operation as to make practical the printing of plastic tag blanks by end-users (something which is practically prohibitive in view of equipment costs, difficulties for end users in acquiring needed stamp blocks, and user hazards as are all associated with conventional hot stamp machine technology).